to British manufactures and to Turkish Commerce, but so contrary to the views of Russia, which still cherishes the idea of drawing all the transit trade of Persia through Georgia. To effect this, the emperor must obtain a port for his Georgian province-say Battoom-from Turkey, and then, by a little annexation, on the head branches of the Arras, secure a direct and cheaper route for Persian caravans.

in ballast.

Manufactures

Cloth.

Silk

Coarse cloths

Linen do..

Total.....

224,179,030

Total number of vessels: 219-88 steamers; 130 sailing vessels; 1 sailing vessel

Red caps Dry fruits Medicine Plauks

Beer. Brandy Liquor Wine

Rum

Steel

.cases

264 Yellow seed

..sacks

97

Art. VI.-OPORTO:-ITS COMMERCE, ETC.

THE city of Oporto, called the second capital of the kingdom of Portugal, like the greatest part of the maritime places on the southwestern coast of Europe, was built by the Phenicians, near the mouth of the river Douro, on the undulating declivities of three large hills which form a kind of amphitheater, the bases of which are watered by the silvery waves of the same river. On the opposite side lies the town of Villanova, celebrated for its beautiful sites, like the hill of Gaya, and the historical and splendid Serra do Pillar, which, in cases of war, can be considered as the strongest bulwarks of the fortress of Oporto. But, more than to the enchanting beauties of its scenery, Villanova owes its renown and richness to the immense number of large and spacious wine-lodges which occupy nearly the whole area of the lower part of the town, where all the best wines from the Douro are deposited and kept previous to being shipped, or used for internal consumption. Only wines of a second or inferior quality, destined for the home consumption, are admitted to storage within the city of Oporto, while those classified by the wine inspector as first quality wines, are to be stored in the lodges of Villanova, which are numbered, registered, and often inspected by officers of the custom-house and surveyors appointed by the Royal Douro Wine Company, and by the Commercial association."

The city of Oporto has a population of 80,000 inhabitants, inclusive of the suburbs, and the watering place of St. Joao da Foz, situated about one league distant from the city, at the mouth of the Douro. There the port of Oporto, which for small and middling sized vessels, would become one of the best and safest mooring places on the Atlantic coast of Europe, is encumbered by a bar formed by beds of sand, and several rocks, above the ebb of the sea, among which O Cabedello and A punta da Cruz are the most conspicuous. These dangerous obstructions, against which, every year, at least half a dozen of vessels meet with inevitable loss, make the passes impracticable during the flood of the Douro, and in many other instances, when there is either too much surf, or too much current on the bar, or when the water is too low. Vessels making the bar of Oporto, are oftentimes obliged to cruise between that place and the rock of Lisbon, for many days, before they receive a pilot from St Joao da Foz, and can attempt to cross the bar. In other instances, especially during the winter season, they are obliged to seek for shelter in the Bay of Vigo, at about five leagues' distance, on the coast of Gallicia.

The frequent and distressing losses of valuable cargoes, and often of precious lives, on the bar of Oporto, impressed the Portuguese government with the necessity of doing something for it. Unfortunately, they did not do anything for it, but they made something out of it. More than fifty years since, a law was passed, by which all the vessels, inclusive of the small crafts and coasters which cross the bar, are charged an extra tonnage duty of 100 reis for each ton, to be appropriated to the improvement of the bar. That duty has been levied and faithfully collected ever since on all national and foreign vessels, by the custom-house of Oporto, which gives an account of

The first quality wines stored in the wine lodges at Villanova vary from 120,000 to 150.000 pipes; and the yearly exportations to the different parts of Europe, Brazils, and North America, average 36,000 pipes, at least 25,000 of which are shipped to England.

nearly $10,000 a year, so that we can easily reckon that about $500,000 were actually received by the Portuguese government for what they call the works of the bar (as obras da barra ;) but, to the great shame of that government, not one cent has yet been spent towards that salutary object, nor does exist any reserved fund in the hands of the public functionaries, appropriated to that specific purpose. Mismanagement, dilapidation, and peculation have always been prominent characteristics of the government of Portugal. Many projects and plans have been presented, at several times, to the government, by foreign companies, and by rich and philanthropic capitalists of Oporto, for the improvement of that bar, by which Commerce in general, and the community of Oporto especially, would have been greatly benefited, without any cost on the part of the government, except the extra tonnage due, which, of course, would have been received by the contractors. But, up to this day, the ministers of Her most faithful Majesty did not deem it fit to give up that small income for the better safety of her subjects, and of their property.

Vessels drawing more than eleven feet of water cannot cross the bar o Oporto, even in the best weather. After such premises, it is needless for us to say that the navigation of the beautiful river Douro, which, without much expense and trouble could be easily extended across all the province of Traz os Montes, to the very center of Spain, in its present state, it is only prac ticable by small flatboats, which carry to the Oporto mart the productions of the interior, the wines from the Regoa, and the wheat from Castille, which is stored at Villanova, and re-exported, according to recent treaty stipulations with Spain. The principal exportations from Oporto are made to England, mostly in English bottoms, and consist in wine, fruit, argols, wool, and cork-wood. A few cargoes of the same goods are also sent to Hamburg, and to some other ports on the Baltic. To Brazils, with which Oporto has still a very lucrative intercourse, they export wine, hardware, common crockery, coarse woolens and cotton goods, in return of more valuable cargoes of hides, sugar, coffee, cocoa, raw cotton, and some lumber *

With the United States they exchange their wines (the average is 3,000 pipes a year, mostly of the second quality) with staves, masts, rice, whalebone, cotton, and naval stores; but the transactions between the two countries are almost insignificant.

The greatest and most costly importations in Oporto come from England, especially in dry goods and other manufactures, and in codfish from Newfoundland.

To give an idea of the extent of the British trade with the, kingdom of Portugal, it will be sufficient to say that the value of woolens and other manufactured wares imported into Lisbon and Oporto, from England, from 1800 to 1820, amounted to £53,259,580, although that period includes the time of the French invasion and of the Peninsular war. From 1815 to 1827, the importations from England averaged annually at £1,647,283. At least two hundred English vessels are employed every year in carrying codfish from Newfoundland to Lisbon, Oporto, Figuera, and Vianna; 4,242,441 quintals of that commodity were imported during the period running from 1796 to 1810, and 5,941,615 quintals from 1816 to 1836.

The great preponderance, at early periods, acquired by the British mer

*All goods imported from Brazils have separate public stores, and a separate branch of the custom-house, called "Alfandega de Massarellos."

chants in the Portuguese markets, cannot be ascribed solely to the superiority of their manufactures upon those of all other countries, but principally to the immense advantages and privileges granted to them from the several treaties stipulated by the British government with the Portuguese crown.

Since the year 1571, Cardinal Henrique, as tutor and regent during the minority of the king, Don Sebastian, stipulated a treaty of friendship and reciprocity, as such treaties are generally styled, with the Court of St. James, and in 1624, another treaty of peace and Commerce was entered into with Great Britain by the King Don John IV., by which British merchants acquired the right to free and undisturbed trade, not only with Portugal and her islands, but also with Brazils and the ultra-marine possessions of the Portuguese crown.

But the humiliating conditions agreed upon by either ignorant or corrupt ministers on the part of Portugal, in former treaties, can hardly be compared with the degrading stipulations of the treaty of Methuen, of the year 1703, and of that of 1810. The government which did not shrink before the sanction of those conventions, delivered Portugal handcuffed and feetshackled to the prepotent cupidity of an invading power, which turned to its own profit the ruin of all manufacturing industry of that beautiful and rich country.

Notwithstanding the joint efforts of English egotism and of Portuguese corruption in high quarters, to paralyze all spirit of industrial enterprise in Portugal, Oporto can still boast of being a manufacturing city. Besides some thousand looms which she possesses, and which furnish to the country, to the colonies and to the Brazils, substantial and very desirable wool and cotton goods, a large cotton spinning and twisting establishment was recently founded near St. Tyrso, on Visella river. There are also in Oporto, many silk factories, where the common raw silk of Traz os Montes is twisted into sewing silk, and the tram and organzine, imported from Italy, is converted into beautiful velvet, silks, and gros-de-Naples.

The wine, which is the principal resource of Oporto and of the surrounding districts, is made in a certain part of the country, placed on the right bank of the Douro, from between ten to twenty leagues distant from the city. The principal entrepot is a small town called A Regoa, from which all the wines are sent in small flatboats down to Oporto and Villanova. The Douro wine, in its primitive state, is not fit for shipment. In the wine lodges of Villanova it always undergoes a process of purification with the white of eggs, and of strengthening, through the addition of strong white brandy, and of some old wine. By the repeated turning, shaking and mixing of the liquid, the wine is brought to that perfection which makes the port wine so acceptable and celebrated in all foreign countries.

What is known in America as pure juice, is called in Portugal geropiga, and is generally used to give strength and an agreeable flavor to wines either naturally too poor, or having lost by age part of their power. It is the first juice of the grape, put to boil until it is reduced to two-thirds of its volume, when one-third of first-rate brandy is added to it, which gives to the stuff a high grade. In many instances sugar also is added, and the juice of the elder-berry which, by its deep color, gives to the stuff an appearance of a strong-bodied wine.

With the view of preventing frauds and adulterations in the wine manufacture, and of preserving the high reputation enjoyed by the port-wine in foreign countries, the trade of that valuable commodity has been so much